


Snow

by CanaryCry



Category: Grayson (Comics)
Genre: Bat Family, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Married Couple, Snow, Snowball Fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 20:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7329607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanaryCry/pseuds/CanaryCry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tiger hates the snow, but Dick is a force of nature unto himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow

**Author's Note:**

> So instead of updating my other 5000004325435 fics I should be working on, I wrote this on a whim. Because reasons.

Tiger hated the cold with a passion. He hated the bite in the wind, the fog of his breath, the white monstrosity humankind had the gall to give such a harmless name as _snow_. Dick was unhelpful, flitting about the rooftops with all the joy of a five-year-old seeing snow for the first time. Tiger hunkered down with his binoculars, doing the job he was actually meant to be doing.

Dick—Nightwing, rather—finally settled down next to him. “You seem unhappy.”

“Do I?” Tiger muttered.

Nightwing straightened the lapel on Tiger's massive coat. “Can you even move in this thing?”

“I manage.” Tiger watched some no-name criminal slide a package into the mail slot outside the building across the street. Batman had tagged the package with a tracking device earlier that evening. Nightwing and Tiger had to follow the thing, which had already changed hands five times without anyone opening it. Tiger was about at the end of his rope in the frozen nightmare of a city, where criminals operated with more care than some top spy agencies. No wonder Dick had played everyone so thoroughly in Spyral; he'd had years of practice in honing his vapid Boy Wonder act.

“Are you wearing the thermals I lent you?”

“Yes,” Tiger bit out, still trying to watch the package. He could spy movement through the blinds, but not enough to have a clear idea of what was happening. The gloves he wore did little to stop his fingers freezing inside them, and his toes felt liable to drop off.

Nightwing stuck his tongue out, catching a snowflake.

“Childish.”

“If it's childish to take joy in the little things, sure.” Nightwing grinned at him. “Call me childish all you like. Robin already does.”

“Robin is the only member of your family I can tolerate,” Tiger said. “Including you.”

“Aww, you say the sweetest things.”

Tiger switched to Pashto so he could mutter a few not-very-charitable things under his breath. Nightwing had been learning the language a little, but hopefully not enough to learn the insults yet.

Nightwing listened to someone over his communicator, grinning like a fool. “Glad to hear it, Red Robin. Think we can get the little one to build a snowman with us?” He barked out a laugh; no one was outside on the street anymore, so he clearly had no fear of being overheard. “Sure. I'll work my magic. Got my warmup act right here. Get some rest. I'll jump on you early tomorrow morning.” Nightwing bumped shoulders with Tiger. “The manor's already covered in snow. Should be enough for a snowman tomorrow.”

“No,” Tiger said, already anticipating the question.

“Please?”

“I am not building a snowman with you.”

“Aw, come on.” Nightwing elbowed him. “We've gotta set a good example for Robin.”

“Robin is a child.”

“Exactly. If you join us, maybe he will, too. He loves you.”

“He threatened me. With a knife.”

“Because he loves me, too.”

Tiger brushed snow off the ledge in front of him, resting his elbows in the spot he'd cleared. “Why do you enjoy the snow so much?”

It wasn't always easy to track Nightwing's mental state with the mask on, since so much of what he felt shone through his eyes, but the tiny smile that graced his face seemed almost sad tonight. Tiger regretted asking already; he could be an asshole sometimes, but he never wanted to upset Dick. It wasn't the threat of silence or the wrath of the family that worried him; Dick was very good at making people feel guilty without actually having to do anything. He probably didn't even realise he was doing it.

“I've always played in the snow, since I was little.” Nightwing leaned into Tiger's side. “It's a family thing. I did it with my parents, with Bruce, with my siblings.”

“You convinced _Bruce_ to do something frivolous with you?”

Nightwing shrugged. “It was different when I was a kid. _He_ was different. And he knew it was important to me. I also may have pulled the dead parents card the first time. We didn't always get snow when we travelled around in the circus, but we'd always take the time to enjoy it when we did.” Flecks of snow settled in his hair, like icing sugar, and Tiger found he couldn't hate the stuff as much as he had a few minutes ago.

Tiger kissed his forehead, not lingering too long in case it was cold enough to glue them together. “Fine. I will join you tomorrow.” He watched the door open in the street and a man step out, carrying the tracked package.

“Thank you!” Nightwing smacked a messy kiss on his cheek. He flipped backwards, grapnel dispenser already out. “Race you to the next port of call?”

Tiger clipped his binoculars to his belt and pulled out his own grapnel. “That is ridiculous.”

Nightwing ignored him, leaping off the edge of the building. “Last one there's a rotten egg!”

Sadly, Tiger was a rotten egg. But Nightwing had the tracker on his wrist computer. It was not a fair race.

“Why did I marry you again?” he complained as he caught up with Dick on a building by the docks.

“Because I am a delight,” Nightwing replied, fingers pressed to his mask, presumably to zoom in on the happenings below. “I think this is our final stop. Gonna join us, Bats?”

Tiger did not flinch when cold air whooshed past him, but it was a close thing.

“I'm here,” said Batman. He and Nightwing led the charge to the meeting below. Tiger followed close behind.

* * *

 

Tiger hated it when Dick was bright and awake in the mornings, given the man was typically not a morning person. Apparently that didn't extend to snow days. Or moments when he could be obnoxious to all the other non-morning people.

Somehow, Dick managed to wrangle everyone outside after breakfast with minimal complaints. Even Bruce had chosen to indulge him. And Jason had shown up for some reason.

Tiger lingered by the door. “Why are you here?”

“Dick invited me,” Jason said, with a tone of defeat. “Then Damian threatened to kick my ass if I hurt Dick's feelings by not showing up. And Alfred... well, he didn't threaten me but I got the message. You?”

“I, unfortunately, married the man.”

Something cold and wet smacked into his chest. A snowball. From Dick. Who had, apparently, been close enough to overhear their entire conversation.

Tiger sighed and reached down to build up a snowball in retaliation. Jason just snickered and walked away. Traitor. Tiger had almost managed to wrangle some kind of misshapen ball when a man-sized weight appeared on his back.

“Dick...”

Dick pulled Tiger's scarf aside to kiss his jaw. And to shove snow down the back of his shirt. Tiger dropped his snowball, hissing at the cold. Dick laughed loudly in his ear, until Tiger flipped him on his back, right into the snow.

Tiger pinned him there, their faces close enough that the mist from their breath mingled in the air. “You are ridiculous.”

Dick beamed up at him. “It's part of my charm.”

Battle lines had been drawn deeper into the front yard, snowballs whizzing back and forth between the two teams. Tiger didn't much care to figure out who was who, especially when Dick dragged him by the front of his coat and pressed their freezing lips together.

“Still hate the snow?” Dick whispered against his mouth.

“Convince me otherwise,” Tiger whispered back. This time, he was prepared for the snowball that came towards them, batting it away with his gloved hand just in time, so clumps of snow spattered their faces rather than the whole thing at once.

“Get a room!” Jason shouted, before a snowball hit him right in the face, courtesy of Cassandra.

“I think Cass approves,” Dick said through his laughter. “Come on. Let's join her team.” He wriggled out from beneath Tiger's body. “I'll make it up to you later.” He winked and raced across the foot-churned snow.

Tiger was truly chilled to the bone by the time the game was over. They had won, though mostly due to Cass's skill than any of their own. Tiger considered himself an excellent marksman, though apparently that ability didn't extend to snowballs.

Tiger wasn't much better at building snowmen. Dick laughed openly at his attempt to roll a large enough ball before he finally took pity and helped him. Tiger mostly watched after that, unable to avoid a small smile when Dick lifted Damian up to shove a carrot into the snowman's face to serve as a nose.

“Even I find this adorable,” Jason muttered. “I'm disgusted with myself.”

Dick opened up his arms as more snow began to fall. Tiger was too busy watching him to reply to Jason, who stalked inside with the rest of the family, muttering about how disgusting Dick and Tiger were both being.

“Are you planning to stay there forever?” Tiger asked Dick, who shrugged.

“Maybe. It's nice.” He caught more snowflakes on his tongue. “You've never had snow ice cream before, have you?”

“No. I'm cold enough already.”

“Another time?”

“Perhaps.” Tiger was starting to shiver in earnest; he needed to get inside before he shook so badly his clothes started falling off.

Dick laughed, latching onto his arm. “Come on, then.” The started back towards the manor. “You know, for someone so hairy, you really have no tolerance for the cold.”

“That's not...” Tiger gave up. “I thought you liked me this way.”

“I do. Can I comb your chest hair tonight?”

“No.”

Dick snorted. “I'm kidding. I'll just braid your pubic hairs while you sleep.”

“That is disturbing.”

“Give me a minute and I'll come up with something worse.”

Tiger opened the front door. “Please don't.”

Dick reached up and tugged Tiger's beanie more securely over his ears. “For the record, I'm glad I married you.”

“So am I,” Tiger admitted. “I was joking earlier.”

“I know.” Dick's smile was going to be the death of him one day.

They joined the whole family in front of the fire, Dick tucked firmly into Tiger's side as they all drank cups of cocoa Alfred had prepared.

The family was bickering over something inconsequential enough that Dick didn't feel the need to get involved, choosing instead to press his lips to Tiger's cheek, just beside his ear. The heat of the fire and the cocoa had long chased away any chill.

“Did you enjoy yourself today?” Dick whispered.

“Possibly,” Tiger replied.

Dick chuckled fondly and he burrowed in closer. Much more and he'd be sitting in Tiger's lap. If this was how all snow days would end, well...

Maybe the snow wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
